About
CONTEXT
Covid-19 pandemic and the boom of e-commerce: which consequences for the logistics sector?
Team Hub! brings together universities, research institutes and trade unions from nine EU countries (BE, DE, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, IT, PL) to jointly address the complexities and challenges of e-commerce supply chains, especially with regard to storage and delivery activities, through a set of desk and field research, training, and networking activities and the development of policy recommendations.
The aim of Team Hub! is to analyse the implications of the e-commerce boom, following the COVID-19 pandemic, and to equip trade unions and logistics workers with the knowledge and skills necessary to propose a sustainable reshaping of business models and work organization in the supply chain, also in view of the digital revolution and environmental sustainability objectives. A bold dissemination strategy has been designed to promote the active involvement of workers in key project initiatives.
Phases of the project
Running for 24 months (August 2022 – July 2024), Team Hub! combines desk and empirical research, as well as mutual learning and networking activities, in order to analyse features and challenges of the e-commerce supply chain in a set of selected countries, namely Belgium, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain.
The first phase (Study) of the project consists of a preliminary literature review aimed at producing Country-Level Background Analysis of the e-commerce and logistics national panorama, with a focus on legal framework, business models, working and employment conditions, social partners activities, and the geography of the supply chains in the covered countries.
The second phase (Focus) consists of an empirical qualitative research aimed at delivering a number of national case studies analysing e-commerce companies and the working conditions of the employees of their supply chain.
The third phase (Join) consists both in networking and mutual learning activities. Thanks to an e-commerce survey dedicated to logistics workers and workers representatives involved in National Assemblies, partners will collect a set of data about their working and life conditions to be discussed during the International Mutual Learning Workshops, which will as well analyse interim findings from the background analysis and case studies. Two International Team Hub! Days will close the networking activities involving partners, social partners, representatives of companies and workers.
The fourth phase (Sum up) will collect the results of the project in a Final Comparative Report complemented by Policy Recommendations for national and EU policymakers to improve working conditions and environmental sustainability in the logistics sector.
A dissemination strategy (Share) entails the outcomes’ promotion through scientific publications, media articles, and a final conference involving a wide audience of national and European policy makers, stakeholders, practitioners, and academia.
Activities of the project
- Country-Level Background Analysis & EU - Level Comparative Report
- National Case Studies
- E-commerce Survey
- National Assemblies
- International Mutual Learning Workshops
- Team Hub! Days
- Final Report & Policy Recommendations
- Dissemination & Final Conference
